The Promise
by Scotia Daniel
Summary: April closed her eyes, letting the tears spill over and rested her cheek in his hand. They sat there, basking in the silent promise April herself wasn't entirely sure she'd want the mutant to keep, not wanting the return of her father in the exchange of the life of someone who she had grown to love and knew she couldn't live without over the years. It wasn't fair...it wasn't fair..


**Cover by QueenSnow on .**

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The balding man ran towards her, arms outstretched. April could feel her heart skip a beat, her lips quivering.

"Dad."

She had reached the edge of the building, a small gap between her ledge and the ledge her father was running to.

"Come on, dad. You can do it! Jump! Just a little closer now..."

Her father's blue eyes shimmered in the light from the streets below. So close...so close...April reached out her arm. Leo and the others were holding the Kraang off. It was the perfect plan. Her father was seconds away from finally being free. Finally being able to go home with her...April felt herself smile, tears streaming down her face.

Kirby grinned and leaped. He stretched out his hand towards his daughter. How long had it been since they had last seen each other? Weeks? Months? A year? April's hair was longer. Darker. Her muscles were more defined and she seemed more confident in the way she held herself.

Their fingers brushed and eyes connected. That was it. It was over. Their suffering was done. A flash of black streaked through April's vision and when she blinked, her father was gone.

April closed her hand, the tingling sensation of her father's fingertips against her own still lingering on her skin. He had been there a moment ago. Right there out of her grasp.

She slowly turned to see her father crumpled on the building, a black figure guarding him. April felt the breath leave her body and her head became light headed. They had been so close.

"Karai."

"Hello, April. Fancy meeting you here."

Kirby groaned beside her and April blinked slowly. That couldn't be happening. So close...he was so close to coming home...

"Give him back...give him back!" Her voice came out more shrill than she had intended. The sound hurt her ears. Other black figures could be seen peering from the tops of nearby skyscrapers. The Foot.

Karai slowly shook her head. "Tisk, tisk...such a shame. Really. Daddy's finally here and he's taken away from you again. Like taking candy from a baby. A big, spoiled baby."

April took a step back, her heart racing in her chest. Part of her wanted to attack. To wipe the smirk off of the kunoichi's face. But she knew if she did, she'd be captured, too. Maybe killed...

The red head threw poison dipped needles at Karai and did the only thing she could logically do: she ran. Karai easily dodged the needles with a smirk. April ran across the roofs, jumping from one building to the next as the wind whipped at her face.

April dodged attacks with ease, throwing one Foot member off of a roof and twisting the weapon of another out of their hand. She gazed at the city skyline, wondering where the mutant brothers were.

She could fight the Clan, but there were too many. And realistically, even the best of the best would retreat. She knew the guys would. It's better to be alive and well than to be captured or dead.

April dodged shuriken and threw her own behind her, not staying to see if she had hit anyone. She kept to the shadows, her heart racing and her breath shallow in her chest. She dodged behind a water tower, trying to calm her nerves. The city was quiet. Had she lost them?

Once the red head had calmed down, she darted from her hiding spot and hopped onto the next roof. She jumped, feeling her body suspend in midair. Leaped just like how her father had done before he...

Something whizzed by her body and a sharp pain could be felt in her side. April lost her concentration and, instead of making it to the other building, she began to fall, her once light body feeling like a sac of sand.

April could see the blood escape from her side. A wound, but not too deep. Just enough to knock the air out of her. The red head gazed up at a smirking Karai, her eyes disconnected as though she didn't want to feel for the other girl. Understand her...

April felt something hard hit her body. The ground? She waited for the pain but it never came. She opened her eyes and found herself shielded by Donatello's strong arms. She gazed up at him. He stared Karai down with a look on his face she had never seen before.

The red head turned her attention to Karai who had drawn her sword, a scowl on her face. A Foot member landed beside her and raised their head to her and Donatello in a menacing way.

Donatello didn't hesitate. He was off before anyone could blink. April's body was harshly pressed into the mutant's chest as he ran and found a route to take, dodging cars, climbing walls and taking the roofs.

It seemed like only seconds had passed when Donatello had found a slab of stone, fell to the ground and pressed his back into the wall, gazing slightly over it. They were alone. The city was a ways off and they were where an old hotel had been before it was demolished, hiding out in the remains.

April leaned against him, her heart racing. He wrapped his free arm around her waist to keep her close. Now that she could really stop and pay more attention to her surroundings and the mutant she leaned against, she could see the cuts, scrapes and bruises on his skin. Sweat beaded his skin in places and he looked so...serious. Even more serious than he normally was.

"Are you okay?" He didn't look at her. He continued to gaze at the horizon, waiting...watching...

"I'm fine." Her voice came out like a whisper.

Donatello snapped his head down to look at her, eyes wide. She felt something on her face and rubbed at it with her fist. She was crying. From what? Honestly, the cut didn't hurt. Nor did the bruises. She knew she would have babied her wounds a year before, but not anymore. She could receive a deep wound and not even blink as she patched it up. She wasn't just April O'Neil anymore, she was a warrior. So...why the tears?

The tears became sobs and she rubbed at her face, begging herself to stop. But she wouldn't. Donatello dropped his staff and wrapped his other arm around her. She hated him seeing her like that. But then it hit her:

She was crying because of her dad. When her mind came to that conclusion, she cried harder. The sobs became hiccups and the tears blinded her, blurring her vision. It wasn't fair...

"We were so close, Donnie...he should be with me right now. Back home...it's not fair..."

"Shh..." He gently combed her hair with his fingers. Clumsily, but comforting. "April, we'll get him back."

"But it's not the Kraang anymore, Donnie! It's the FOOT. With Karai and Shredder? And last time I checked, they are far more ruthless than the aliens. What do you think they'll do to him? Hurt him to get information? Use him to get to me? Donnie, this is even more serious. At first it was just my dad being captured, now we're talking about his _life._"

Donatello stared at the ground, silent. April gazed at him, waiting for him to speak. To do anything. This was the mutant that could never shut up. Never ran out of ideas. But there he was, being quiet and without a remark for the first time since April had met him. But after a moment of silence, his frown deepened before brought his eyes up to meet hers.

"We will get him back, April. I won't let Shredder, Karai, or anyone hurt them. And if they even THINK about hurting him, they'll feel ten times worse pain. I promise, April. I'd die before letting them hurt your father." He took his finger and brushed away her tears. "I promise."

April closed her eyes, letting the tears spill over and rested her cheek in his hand. She leaned her forehead against his chest and he held her to him. They sat there, basking in the silent promise April herself wasn't entirely sure she'd want the mutant to keep, not wanting the return of her father in the exchange of the life of someone who she had grown to love and knew she couldn't live without over the years. It wasn't fair...it wasn't fair...


End file.
